If
nothing else, parents
hope their children
grow up to be kind,
empathetic beings.
At Del Mar Heights,
children are learning
these lessons through
a one-of-a-kind program,
the Understanding
Differences Program.
The Understanding
Differences Program
teaches children what
disabilities are and
the challenges people
with disabilities
face. The program
attempts to help children
understand that despite
differences, people
share underlying similarities.

Principal
Wendy Wardlow talks
openly about a program
near and dear to her
heart.

UNDERWOOD:
What do you hope the
children take away from
the Understanding Differences
Program?

WARDLOW:
In all of my years of
education, this is the
program nearest and
dearest to my heart.
My father’s
best friend was crippled
from arthritis as a
teenager. Although my
father’s
friend spent his life
in a “chair” and
could not bend his arms,
he was a talented artist
and musician. I simply
adored him and was so
offended when I thought
people made judgments
about him based on his
disability rather than
his ability.

Beyond
learning how much we
all have in common,
I want our children
to gain a deeper understanding
of the amazing resilience
of the human spirit.
Ultimately, I believe
resiliency is the greatest
attribute we can give
to our children.

UNDERWOOD:
Can an emotion as complex
as empathy be understood
by young children?

WARDLOW:
I KNOW empathy can be
understood by young
children. One of our
parents recounted a
story about how Understanding
Differences changed
his young daughters’ perceptions
about a disabled relative.
Paul’s
cousin was born without
limbs as the result
of her mother taking
thalidomide. He said
his daughters were afraid
to talk with her because
she was so different.
After the girls learned
about motor disabilities
through Understanding
Differences, they visited
their cousin and ran
up to her asking questions
about her wheelchair.
Paul said that if we
ever questioned whether
the program had an effect
on young children, this
was a graphic example.

UNDERWOOD:
Who came up with the
program?

WARDLOW:
Understanding Differences
was the brainchild of
Jennifer Friedman (a
parent and neurologist
at Rady Children’s
Hospital), Donna Kuriyama
(our school psychologist),
Pam Reynolds (our Scientist
in Residence), and I
explored many disability
awareness programs but
could find none that
we connected with so
we developed our own!

As
you can tell, this program
has unusual depth which
I attribute to the triangulation
approach of Knowledge
(Science Lab), Experience
(simulations), and Understanding
(speakers).